As I said before, I don't
support the
idea that the "neoceratosaurians" and the coelophysoids form a natural group,
Ceratosauria. Instead, the "neoceratosaurians" form my Ceratosauria. Indeed, some workers
have suggested that this reduced
Ceratosauria may be paraphyletic, with Ceratosaurus and the abelisauroids
as basal relatives to the tetanurans.
Ceratosaurians are most commonly found in the continents that made up
Gondwana (South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India, and Madagascar), in late Cretaceous-age rocks, but one of the best known members, Ceratosaurus
itself, is a North American theropod from the Late Jurassic. Ceratosaurians, while
not as diverse as the tetanurans, produced many interesting taxa, including the bizarre
abelisaurids and the small, large-clawed (at least in some cases)
noasaurids.

Not the same as the EJ Moroccan theropod
mentioned by Gregory Paul back in 1988's Predatory Dinosaurs of the
World (that's something else, under prep), Berberosaurus is
based on a partial postcranial skeleton of a subadult comparable in size
to Dilophosaurus or Elaphrosaurus.
Most of the remains pertain to the hindlimb or vertebrae. It was
described as the
earliest known abelisauroid, and would indicate an early diversification for
the group (the description of Limusaurus finds it to be a
dilophosaurid instead). Tazoudasaurus was a
contemporary.

sometime between the Late Triassic and
Aptian, perhaps MJ of Agadez, Niger

Once one of the two dubious EK species of Elaphrosaurus, Spinostropheus
has now been recognized as a basal ceratosaurian. Vertebral remains in the original type have been tied to a long
stretch of presacral verts found at the same horizon as Jobaria
and Afrovenator. The whole animal would
have been on the order of 4 m long.

Elaphrosaurus bambergi
Janensch, 1920

late Kimmeridgian-Tithonian (LJ) of Mtwara, Tanzania

If a skull was known here, it would help
measures immensely. As it stands, Elaphrosaurus is one of the
shortest of known theropods at the hip for its length. It was once considered an ornithomimid
ancestor, but I find that hypothesis hard to believe. The hip structure, for
example, is so different between Elaphrosaurus and a true ornithomimid that it
casts serious doubt on such a proposition.
Material from both France and North America has been referred to this genus over
the years. The North American (Morrison Formation) material usually travels under
E. sp. or "E. philtippetorum". Among these bones
are fused pubic bones which may represent Tanycolagreus,
a humerus, metatarsals, and a tibia; only the pubic bones have attracted
attention.
The position of Elaphrosaurus is somewhat fuzzy, but
new studies find it closest to the abelisauroids, possibly related to the
noasaurids. In some ways, it is little changed from the
coelophysoids.

Limusaurus inextricabilis, the shuvosaur-imitating toothless ceratosaur...
or the ornithomimosaur-previewing toothless ceratosaur... except also with that
miniscule arm thing ceratosaurs were so fond of, which also gives it a hint of alvarezsaur?
Sure, why not?Limusaurus was floating around for a couple of years before description
in various venues, known for its type specimen being mired (inextricably, one
might say) at death. The type skeleton is both mostly complete and nicely
articulated, belonging to a subadult a few years old. It was a small
herbivorous biped.
The hand has been attracting the most attention. Like all good ceratosaurs,
it had four metacarpals of various sizes per hand. What's odd is the
reduction in number I (the thumb). This has been interpreted as part of a
frameshift wherein digits II, III, and IV took over the identities of I, II, and
III during embryonic development. Such a frameshift would be important
because birds appear to have digits II, III, and IV, and theropods are
traditionally interpreted as having digits I, II, and III.

This Morrison theropod is famous for its tall nose horn
and less prominent preorbital horns. It also possesses a row of bony nodules down
the spine, which is probably a holdover from the earliest dinosaurs and their
ancestors. To go along with these ornaments, it has a moderate fin-back. Ossified tendons are found in at least some individuals. The hand
has four metacarpals. The skull has
particularly large teeth, but is
lightly-constructed.
In the
past, this handsome horned beast had occasionally been considered a possible male
or pathologic individual of Allosaurus, but better material and
newer study show these to be very unlikely possibilities.
The two newer species C. dentisulcatus and C. magnicornis are
tentatively retained for the moment, although C.
magnicornis could
conceivably represent a different growth stage of the type species. C. dentisulcatus, however, has fewer teeth in a larger skull than the
type (largest North American specimen of Ceratosaurus, with a femur 759
mm long, putting the living beast in the 1-metric ton range), which
seems to assure specific separation.
There appears to be giant ceratosaurid-type material ("Megalosaurus" ingens) in Tanzania's famous Tendaguru
beds, and the Morrison species C. dentisulcatus is apparently very large,
although Ceratosaurus has usually been seen as somewhat small, and the
type is certainly not Allosaurus-scale (personal observation of the skeleton at the
Smithsonian).

C. dentisulcatus Madsen and Wells,
2000

C. magnicornis Madsen and Wells, 2000

Genyodectes serus Woodward, 1901

?Aptian-?Albian (?EK) of Argentina

Genyodectes is based on part of the front end of
some theropod jaws. Sometimes it has been suggested that it , may be synonymous with the better-known Abelisaurus,
but new study indicates that it was actually a ceratosaurid. More
surprising, given the years that it was tossed off as theropod scrap, is
that when someone (Rauhut) went to look at the material, it turned out
to be distinctive. The teeth are closely packed, and the maxillary
teeth are flattened side-to-side and very tall (and quite a bit longer
than the pmx teeth).

Ceratosauria i.s.: Among other recent discoveries, a
new, fairly large ceratosaurian is known from material from the Aptian of
Argentina.

Taxon or Taxa:

Time/Place:

Comments:

?Bahariasaurus ingens
Stromer,
1934
(?N.D.)

?Albian-early Cenomanian (EK-LK) of Egypt
(Giza) and ?Niger (Agadez)

Bahariasaurus, like Spinosaurus
and Carcharodontosaurus, had its type
material destroyed in WWII. Not all of the material assigned to it belongs
to it.

Camarillasaurus cirugedae
Sánchez-Hernández and Benton, 2012

Barremian (EK) of Spain

A Barremian-age basal ceratosaur, which makes
it a rarity, Camarillasaurus is known from a variety of
disarticulated but associated bones: a tooth, a handful of presacral and
caudal vertebrae (many of which are either centra or neural arches,
suggesting incomplete growth), a partial sacrum and two loose sacral
centra, a rib, a chevron, sternal plates, a partial scapula, part of a
tibia, and bits and pieces. The tibia is the most diagnostic part, with an
unusually broad proximal end and a deep groove.

"Ceratosaurus" roechlingi
(N.D.) Janensch, 1925

late Tithonian (LJ) of Mtwara, Tanzania

"C." roechlingi is based on
some odds and ends (quadrate, fibula, caudals,
astragalus) of a theropod. Limited to a caudal, it appears to be a basal
ceratosaurian, perhaps a ceratosaurid.

Known from a partial postcranial skeleton and other
postcranial bits, Deltadromeus is considered to be one of the
swiftest theropods. Its coracoids (in the shoulder girdle) are unusually large.Deltadromeus started out its public career as the most complete
basal coelurosaurian. However, new evidence suggests that, instead,
it is a basal ceratosaurian (although not a noasaurid as first suggested).
It could be Elaphrosaurus-grade.

"Labrosaurus":

"L." stechowi
(N.D.) Janensch, 1920

Kimmeridgian (LJ) of Mtwara, Tanzania

This is a tooth taxon with some similarities
to Ceratosaurus, and has sometimes been assigned to it.

"L." sulcatus Marsh, 1896

Kimmeridgian (LJ) of Colorado

Again, this tooth may belong to Ceratosaurus.

"Megalosaurus":

"M." bredai (N.D.) Seeley, 1883

Maastrichtian (LK) of the Netherlands

Otherwise known as Betasuchus, this
theropod, described as similar to Sarcosaurus, was once considered to be
Europe's only ornithomimid.

"M." meriani (N.D.)
Greppin, 1870

Tithonian (LJ) of Switzerland

"M." meriani is based on a Ceratosaurus-like
tooth, mostly interesting for its time and place (big theropods are rare
for the LJ of Europe, except in Portugal). Postcranial remains assigned to
this species later became the type of "Ornithopsis"
greppini.

Abelisauroideai.s.: The abelisauroids were primarily a late Cretaceous
Gondwanan group. They are mostly large and some
members grew exotic headgear (Carnotaurinae). At least some members are known to
have reduced their hands and arms to almost nothingness.
Several undescribed abelisauroids
have been mentioned in the literature recently, including a late Cenomanian
(LK) form from Argentina.

Taxon or Taxa:

Time/Place:

Comments:

?Austrocheirus isasii Ezcurra, Agnolin,
and Novas, 2010

Cenomanian-?Santonian (LK) of Argentina

Austrocheirus is known from a few
postcranial bones, most importantly a hand which had not shrunk into a
dangling sprig of fingers, as seen in other abelisauroids. It was
described as a
basal abelisauroid of moderate size, although this classification has been
challenged.

Coeluroides largus (N.D.)
Huene and Matley, 1933 (?Jubbulpuria)

Maastrichtian (LK) of Madhya Pradesh, India

Originally considered a "coelurosaur", hence the
name, this dinosaur is based on primitive caudals with delta-shaped
transverse processes, originally described as dorsals. Ironically, it seems to have been a large theropod, despite
how its name attempts to affiliate it with Coelurus;
also ironically, its caudals are said to resemble those of tiny Ligabueino.
It could be the same as Jubbulpuria, or could be an abelisaurid.

The axis cervical that forms the type of this
species (and is AWOL) is one of those fossils that seems to take on
different affinities with every report. It has been compared
favorably with the cervicals of noasaurids (although twice the size of the
same bone in Masiakasaurus), "carnotaurines",
and the carnosaurian tetanuran Allosaurus. It used to be
considered a "coelurid" or
compsognathid.

Ligabueino andesi Bonaparte, 1995

Barremian (EK) of Argentina

One of the earliest known and smallest
abelisauroids, Ligabueino
is known from partial postcranial remains.

Ozraptor subotaii (?N.D.)
Long and Molnar, 1998

Bajocian (MJ) of Western Australia, Australia

As its name makes clear, this is an Australian predator.
Little else is known at this time; although some workers have suggested dromaeosaurid
affinities for the type distal tibia, new research indicates that it
actually was an early abelisauroid, becoming the first Australian
abelisauroid and the earliest known example.

Vitakrisaurus sarakai Malkani, 2010

Maastrichtian (LK) of Balochistan, Pakistan

Vitakrisaurus is based on a partial
foot. By location and geologic age, it is probably an abelisauroid; by
size, it might be a noasaurid.

Noasauridae: This family is composed of some of the
smallest
ceratosaurians (ignoring possible members Bahariasaurus and Deltadromeus).
It was long thought that at least some of them paralleled sickle-clawed coelurosaurians
like the dromaeosaurids and troodontids by developing a sickle claw, but it
turns out that the "foot" claw actually went to a finger. You
know, the same thing has happened to Baryonyx,
Megaraptor, Fukuiraptor
(all once considered to be dromaeosaurids, however briefly), and Dryptosaurus
(if I remember correctly; I'll have to check), and it probably won't be the last
time; we paleontologists just like to put claws anywhere but the hands, it
seems, even though the more we look, the more it seems like big manual claws
aren't that uncommon among dinosaurs. Heck, even Iguanodon's
thumb spike was first interpreted as a nasal horn!

Taxon or Taxa:

Time/Place:

Comments:

?Dahalokely tokana Farke and Sertich,
2013

Turonian (LK) of Madagascar

Dahalokely is a small abelisauroid,
perhaps but not securely a basal noasaurid. It is known from a handful of
presacral vertebrae (a cervical and six dorsals), a rib, and rib fragments
belonging to a nearly adult-sized but not skeletally mature individual. It
lived at a time shortly before Madagascar split from India.

Laevisuchusindicus Huene and
Matley, 1933

Maastrichtian (LK) of Madhya Pradesh, India

This theropod, based on three cervicals and a
dorsal, was described as a
"coelurid," but instead is a
noasaurid.

Masiakasaurus knopfleri Sampson,
Carrano, and Forster, 2001

mid Maastrichtian (LK) of Madagascar

Quite possibly the first dinosaur to be
described in the new millennium (preferring '01 to '00), Masiakasaurus is also garnering
fame from its specific name, honoring Mark Knopfler of the band Dire
Straits. It is a rather bizarre little creature, known from several
individuals, including the odd
jaws: this creature had unusual forward-jutting
teeth, like a fishing animal. Anatomically, it is the best known
noasaurid, although there's not much competition. There may be two morphs ("robust"
and "gracile").

Noasaurus leali Bonaparte and Powell, 1980

Maastrichtian (LK) of Argentina

This small theropod was long thought to be unusual in that it
seemed to independently come up with a sickle-claw system similar to that of the
dromaeosaurids
and troodontids, without belonging to either of those
two groups by virtue of its basal skull and very different mechanism for the claw's
action. Well, there may be a good reason for why the mechanism is
different: the foot claw is a hand claw.

Noasauridae i.s.:

Taxon or Taxa:

Time/Place:

Comments:

Jubbulpuria tenuis (N.D.)
Huene and Matley, 1933 (?Coeluroides)

Maastrichtian (LK) of Madhya
Pradesh, India

This theropod has been called a "coelurid"
in the past simply
because of its small size. What it really is, is hard to determine from its meager
remains, although its caudals appear to belong to something like Ligabueino.
It is probably a noasaurid.

"Ornithomimoides" barasimlensis (N.D.) Huene and
Matley,
1933

Maastrichtian (LK) of Madhya Pradesh, India

This dubious species is based on four dorsals
(or caudals) that may pertain to a noasaurid, perhaps Laevisuchus.

Velocisaurus unicus Bonaparte, 1991

Santonian (LK) of Argentina

This fleet animal is known from a partial
hindlimb. The toe proportions have led some to suggest it may have fed like a chicken, through scratching at the ground.